Friday evening at North Wilkesboro Speedway, fans were treated to a blast from the past as the NASCAR Pit Crew Competition took center stage as NASCAR Cup Series pit crews battled it out for a $100,000 payday. At the end of the competition, it was the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team that got it done with a 13.012-second performance.
With the victory in the Pit Crew Competition, not only will the team score a massive payday, but now the team’s driver Ty Gibbs will start Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Open from the pole position.
RELATED: NASCAR Cup Series Pit Crew Competition Results
“It’s definitely really cool,” Gibbs said of his team’s win in the pit crew challenge. “Would be a little nicer if it would lock us into Sunday’s night race, but we’ll go race. I feel like we have a great car. Just have to get through this one to get a shot at a million bucks.”
If Gibbs ends up making his way into the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race, he owes a lot of thanks to his pit crew members that got it done to secure the pole.
No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Pit Crew Roster
- Front Changer: Blake Houston
- Tire Carrier: Jacob Holmes
- Rear Changer: Michael Hicks
- Jackman: Derrell Edwards
- Fueler: Peyton Moore
“It’s huge these guys put in so much work that people don’t see,” Joe Gibbs Racign pit crew coach Brian Holland said. “Most of the time, when things go wrong, it gets highlighted. So, it’s nice that they were able to perform in a really intense environment out there against all of their peers and run the fastest pit stop.”
The top-two finishers from the Open and a fan vote winner will make it into the NASCAR All-Star Race Main Event on Sunday, joining the 21 other drivers already in the big show.
While the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing team was the quickest of the entire bunch, Daniel Suarez’s No. 99 Trackhouse Racing team was the fastest of the teams locked into the NASCAR All-Star Race. As a result, Suarez, who spun earlier in the day in practice, will start from the pole in the first Heat Qualifying race for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race.
Chris Buescher’s No. 17 RFK Racing team turned in the third-fastest time in the Pit Crew Competition, which secured the pole in Heat Race 2 for Buescher, who is also locked into Sunday’s big race by way of his win at Bristol Motor Speedway last fall.
Chase Elliott will line up second in the first heat, as his team was the fourth-fastest in the competition, while Austin Dillon will roll from the second position in Heat 2, as his team was the sixth-fastest in the challenge.
Josh Berry’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team was fifth-fastest in the competition, which has secured Alex Bowman’s fill-in driver the second starting spot in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Open Race.
2023 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Pit Crew Challenge Results
